Lanthanide

Valency of Holmium (Ho)

Quick answer

The valency of Holmium is 3 — it has 2 valence electrons, and it loses them to complete its outer shell.

This is the fast lane: one page, one fact, zero digressions. Read the quick answer, check the table, and if your exam needs the full derivation, the sections below walk through it step by step — in Bangla and English, like every page here. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Holmium page is one click away.

Counting the valence electrons

From the configuration [Xe] 4f^11 6s^2, Holmium's outermost shell carries 2 electrons. For a f-block element the nearby inner "f" subshell can also lend electrons, which is where variable valency comes from.

Position check: Holmium belongs to the f-block of the periodic table, period 6.

Valency vs valence electrons

Valence electrons are what you count (2 for Holmium); valency is what the atom will do to complete its outer shell (3 here). Keep the two words straight and half the periodic-table chapter writes itself.

Students also ask

How do I find the valency of Holmium from its group?

As an f-block element Holmium is not assigned a group; examiners accept its common valency of 3.

Why does Holmium show a fixed valency?

Holmium has 2 valence electrons and reaches a complete outer shell in one consistent way, so its valency stays fixed at 3.